Current deal on Benq PE5120. (1 Viewer)

[DanielJW]

Hi everyone,

I haven't seen any posts about this on this forum, but I wanted to share a find that I made... there are several retailiers offering Benq's PE5120 projector -- which is their version of the H31/4805 -- for less than $1000. There is also a $100 rebate going on in the month of April.

I just bought mine for $950, with the rebate, it'll be $850. Pretty good deal if you ask me- almost $300 cheaper than the 4805 for just about the same performance.

It's coming tomorrow. I'll post back when I get it

Cheers,

Daniel

 

[Evan M.]

WOW!!!! That is an EXCELLENT deal!! Anyone reading this thread and thinking about buying one of those giant boxes of a tv set thzt displays a 50" to just watch movies.....DON'T!! Try this out first. 1/4 the money and just as much performance.......plus REAL BIG SCREEN If I didn't already have a 4805 and was looking for a FP I would JUMP all over that deal. The only thing that potential buyers need to keep in mind is that it has a 2X color wheel which means rainbows will be more apparant then the 4805 and H31 and the deinterlacer is not that great....not as good as the Faroudja in the 4805 or the Pixelworks in the H31. So if you are getting the 5120 I would invest in a decent DVD player with a good deinterlacer........you can probably find one for around $150 - $200....maybe less.
Please post a nice review on this projector when you have all set up Daniel. It always amazed me that more people do not get this projector and get the Infocus or H31 instead. Is the 4805 or H31 "better"?....maybe but this FP has always been less money than its' rivals and produces probably just as good an image when tweaked out.

 

[DanielJW]

It's true that the 4805's color wheel is a bit more advanced. However, the PE5120 has higher lumens, a standard DVI port (no adapters required, unlike the Infocus), and has a shorter throw distance. In addition, the 3 years parts/labor warranty with 48-hour exchange really sold it for me.

It might not be quite the 4805, but I don't need so many advanced tweaking options, and rainbows have never bothered me. I thought I would try this out. I'll let you know how it goes.

Not to get off topic, but in regards to DVD players, I bought a cheap region-free player which also plays .avi files (not the Philips, but one made by a company called RJ Tech). I know I am asking for trouble when it comes to quality, but I'm a student, and this will get me through until I can afford a nice player.

Rock on projectors

Daniel

 

[Evan M.]

You will be fine with that player I am sure for a little while. Plus by the fall I am sure there will be some decent players with Faroudja DCDI for dirt cheap. I think you will really like the Benq. If you are not into tweaking it is great. The big difference in the color wheels is that the Benq employs a yellow segment. This is why the image will apear a bit brighter than the 4805/H31. Because of this "correct" color representation is affected. I am sure it won't be noticeable though. If you hade the 2 or 3 units side by side than you would notice it. Either way you are getting a great machine and you should be psyched....especially for the price. I am very interested in hearing what you think since you may be one of the first members on this board to get one.

 

[Chris PC]

I'm not a fan of DLP, but I saw the BenQ projector in action and I must say it looked very good. Especially considering BenQ's 3 year warranty. Of course I still see rainbows. For whats it worth, I didn't see a huge amount and my head wasn't aching like it does with other PJ's. If you like DLP, the 5120 is a great starter PJ. Najeeb at Spectre Audio sells them in Canada.

 

[DanielJW]

Well folks, I got the PJ and I must say, I am rather impressed. The only other projector I've seen for real is the X1, and this is quite an improvement. I'm throwing about a 6 foot image from 10 feet away. Regarding rainbows, I'll say that I know they are there, and sometimes I am a little bothered by their effects, but only after I'm finished watching. I think this also may be because I am sitting rather close for such a large screen. I'll be able to tell more accurately in a few weeks when I take this sucker home and can really stretch out the image.

Regarding the setup, I haven't used a 4805, so I can't vouch for its famed "out-of-the-box" functionality. But I must say that I took the PE5120 out, set it up with S-video (all I had laying around at the time, component cables are coming tomorrow), set it to economy mode, and off I went. It has all of the possible adjustments I could want. Colors look very good right from the start. Blacks are black (enough), and I don't notice any bad color bleeding anywhere on the images.

If there are PC-gamers out there, I hooked up my laptop to this thing with DVI and fired up some Half-Life 2. Even with the drastically reduced resolution, it still is breathtaking.

The only thing I have noticed so far, and this may balance out over time, is that the lamp hour counter seems to round up. I've only had this thing on for maybe three hours total, but it says five? Or maybe I'm just having too much fun and losing track of all time It would be a fine problem to have.

To sum it up, this is a fine unit, and for the current pricetag of $850 after rebate, I don't think I could justify spending the extra money for the H31 or 4805. This more than satisfies my needs for home theater and gaming. I don't have cable so I can't say how it does with signals.

I'm not sure if I am allowed to post pics here, but if I am, I will certainly take requests if there is anything you folks would like to see from this thing.

I have to thank HTF for the "newbie" help with projectors.

Sincerely,

Daniel

 

[Evan M.]

Thats great news Daniel!! Glad it is working out for you. I think you will find that you will start to notice the rainbows less and less over time. One thing you may want to do is get an ND2 filter. That is a "small" screen and the image might be a bit on the bright side. The filter will cut down on the brightness and not effect colors at all. It will also help eliminate a little of the rainbows and reduce screendoor....and of course it will help with the darks. Might be worth the 30$ investment. Hopefully this "cheap" way to get into a REAL bigscreen will help tempt people to give FP a try. When people do...I almost guarantee you will regret ever thinking about dropping $3,000+ for a "big screen" set.

And please post picks!! We love to see picks!! Any movie that can show us the blacks/shadow detail and colors would be great.

 

[DanielJW]

Okay so I took some photos of the PE5120's picture with my camera. Some of the shots I took while the playback was going, so they may be a bit blurry.

First, here is a picture of the unit itself. It's so small! I had no idea it would be this small; smaller than most laptops. I used the LOTR:Two Towers disc as a reference:



In any case, here are some I took to show off blacks and fleshtones, I used Two Towers and Indiana Jones' Last Crusade to give a bit of variety:









To take a closer look at colors, I put in Waking Life, which incorporates rotoscoping, a technique where computers are used to paint over actual film footage. The effect is a very colorful movie with lots of colors:







I should note that these pics were taken on a six-foot screen, using the component connection. The screen itself is just some material I grabbed off of Ebay for $18. It's rather thick but has a nice grey/white look to it. The result is more than pleasant.

Well, that's all for now. I hope this is helpful and if there is any more I can answer, please let me know. Evan, it's funny you mention tempting people to give FP a try, because the first thing I'm doing when I go home is show this to my folks. My father has been talking plasma TV's for months now, and I just keep saying, "Wait, just wait until you see this, you might change your mind." He doesn't really get what FP is all about, so hopefully he'll be impressed. I know I am. I might even be able to talk him into a ScreenPlay 5000 or 7205. We'll see.

One last thing: Where can I see about buying a ND2 filter?

Daniel

 

[Evan M.]

Great pics Daniel. I looked on Amazom for an HD2 filter. A good brand is Hoya. I am not sure what size you will need though.......probably 62mm is what you need...that is what my 4805 takes.

 

[DanielJW]

FYI, it's down to $799 after $100 rebate! Unbelievable!

 

[Evan M.]

ARE YOU FOR REAL?!?!?! That is a crazy price. Again...... anyone looking to buy a "big screen" tv for movies...DON'T!! Buy this first and give it a whirl...not only will it save you a BUNDLE but you will be the envy of your friends and family ..... The worst that will happen is you don't like it (which won't happen) and you will return it and maybe get hit with a 15$ restocking fee. Well worth the effort I think.....